ACE Personal Trainer Instructor Encourages Anyone to Participate

Workers in the fitness industry come from various backgrounds for various reasons. Melissa Baumgartner found herself working in fitness through her husband’s work as a military officer.

Baumgartner has worked as a fitness director in Germany, the manager of gyms in California and has spoken on five continents before joining St. Louis Community College as an ACE Personal Trainer instructor. She now resides in the St. Louis area and enjoys teaching others about health and wellness.

Baumgartner’s ten-week course prepares students for the ACE Personal Trainer exam, but she makes it a personal goal for students to better understand the fitness industry and learn practical applications of the material.

Students in the course vary in ages from 18 to 70. Anyone interested in learning about exercise sciences, including kinesiology can succeed in the fitness industry Baumgartner says. She emphasizes that the class isn’t about being in the gym, rather the ability to use exercise science practically throughout life.

Baumgartner emphasizes that ACE Personal Training suits anyone. “I never want people to think they have to get in shape for this program,” she said. “Everyone can be comfortable.”

The ACE Personal Trainer class covers exercise science such as kinesiology and physiology as well as communication, long-term behavior change, business and marketing. Baumgartner said students also learn to help their clients set goals.

Although students can study on their own for the ACE Personal Trainer exam, Baumgartner says there’s something special about being in a class. “As I get to know my students, I’m trying to help explain the information in a way they can understand it because it may already relate to their lives,” Baumgartner said. “That just can’t be found online in the platform that ACE uses.”

The applications of the certification range as vastly as the types of jobs made available to students. Although a lot of students use their certification to work in gyms, community centers or with youth sports, many who become certified use their credentials to work in care centers. Baumgartner says a large portion of her students land jobs or apprenticeships before the certification preparation ends.

About Laura Davis

Laura Davis is a Marketing Communications Coordinator at St. Louis Community College’s Workforce Solution Group, which delivers non-credit continuing education opportunities, corporate training and community services to the St. Louis region.

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The Workforce Solutions Group of St. Louis Community College leverages education for growth in the knowledge economy by offering programs and services designed to advance people, businesses and communities.

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